Olympus E-PL1s vs Sony W230

On this page, we will be comparing the Olympus E-PL1s and Sony W230, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-PL1s (12MP) and the W230 (12MP) is pretty comparable but the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and W230 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL1s was revealed 22 months after the W230 which makes them a generation away from one another. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W230 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a complete comparison, here is a quick summary of how the E-PL1s grades versus the W230 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL1s & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W230. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL1s Gallery & Sony W230 Gallery.

If you are going to travel with your camera frequently, you will want to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL1s has got external measurements of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") along with a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) and the Sony W230 has measurements of 95mm x 57mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 156 grams (0.34 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL1s and Sony W230 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the E-PL1s vs the W230.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1s and W230 is 86 and 95 respectively.

Typically, it's hard to visualise the gap in sensor dimensions purely by seeing specs. The pic below will give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL1s and W230.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras provide the same megapixels albeit not the same sensor dimensions. The E-PL1s features the bigger sensor which will make obtaining shallow depth of field less difficult. The more modern E-PL1s will have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.